


Of Deals And Devils

by Sammrs



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Cop!AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-05 10:13:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sammrs/pseuds/Sammrs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Sabriel Police!AU ; Implied Destiel) Gabriel Novak is known as the prankster of the precinct, constantly causing trouble for his Chief and fellow officers, but too good at his job to remove. All of that changes when the Chief puts Gabriel on Rookie Duty and he comes face to face with Sam Winchester and a new sort of responsibility. (Rated M For Future Content) (Originally Posted ON FF.Net)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome To The Force, Kiddo

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I hold no ownership over any of the characters in the below fanfiction; if I did, Destiel would be canon, Sabriel would be canon, and I'd have a lot more followers on tumblr. Enjoy!

"DAMNIT NOVAK! Can I not have one day, ONE where you're not messing around on the job?" Michael groaned, slamming his hands onto his desk as he stared across it at the tired Detective, "One day without you firing your weapon without cause!"

"C'mon Chief, give me a break." Gabriel whined back, "I did have just cause! He pulled a knife on the hostage and-"

"You were off duty and you almost HIT that hostage! Do you know how much paperwork I have to do to cover for your ass? Why not just let the sniper get him? It's his job!" Gabriel crunched down on his sucker as the Chief continued his verbal assault, "For this, you get to deal with Rookie duty."

"What? WHY! Didn't you just get done telling me how irresponsible I was? What if I teach the kid bad habits or something?"

"Shut up Novak. Maybe taking some responsibility will help shut down this wild side of yours." Both heard a light rapping against the door, "As a matter of fact, this should be him now. Enter!" Gabriel grimaced again and slowly turned around to see a giant of a man walk through the door.

"Holy moose!" He stood up, trying to retain some semblance of height, "I mean…" Michael sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

"Sam Winchester, meet Gabriel Novak, your new partner."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Detective Novak." Sam said, a small smile crossing his face as he held his hand out to Gabriel, "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"Please, call me Gabe." Gabriel's smile quickly returned as he took the young man's hand and shook it, "I'm sure you'll get tired of dealing with me pretty quickly, but so long as you keep a supply of candy on hand, I'm pretty much an obedient-"

"Novak, please." Michael stressed, standing slowly. "Don't try to trick someone into carrying more candy around for you in the hopes that you will shut your mouth for more than the amount of time it takes for you to eat said candy." Gabriel snapped his fingers in mock disappointment and looked back over Sam, taking note that his eyes were a deep brown, almost the color of a top shelf whiskey, and surrounded by laugh lines that betrayed his age.

"Let me show you around the office. Our building is pretty old, like the Chief here, but it's huge and easy to get lost in." Gabriel grabbed his coat off the chair and pushed Sam out the door before Michael could get out another word.

"Alright, alright." Sam laughed, allowing Gabriel to push him out the door; though he could have easily stopped the smaller man from doing so, "You don't have to keep pushing me, you know." Gabriel laughed from behind him stopped, moving to stand beside him.

"Alright kiddo, obviously you've already seen the bull pen, and the Chief's office. Those stairs to the right lead up to Narcotics, the Juvenile division and, for the moment, our local Child Protective Services workers. Their building is under construction, and we were the only place with space at the last moment. Needless to say, you don't want to go up there if you don't have to. It's a maze to begin with and the Juvi agents and CPS workers keep arguing about the best way to save kids." Gabriel rolled his eyes, "How about breeding licenses? I think that might help a little. You never see a gay or lesbian couple who complain about their kids, and you know why? Because they have to fight to have kids to begin with and only those more fit to be parents get them. I figure, just because you have the organs to have kids, doesn't mean you should." Sam stared down at Gabriel with a small smile. The man obviously loved kids, and hated some of the things he had to see on a daily basis that hurt them, but it was the passion that he spoke with that Sam found more endearing than anything else. "So what do you think Winchester? Are you a fan of kids?"

Sam snapped himself into reality as he felt the warm mass that was Gabriel press against his side, "Nothing against them. Figure it would be great to have one someday, but…" Gabriel felt Sam tense up and pull himself away, "Well, let's just say that it wasn't meant to be for me." He felt the tears trying to betray him as he thought of Jessica and the house fire that had killed her and his unborn child while he had been in class 8 years ago, a fire that had never been explained and the very thing that had taken him off the path to be a lawyer and into the dangerous career path of an officer of the law.

Gabriel took the hint to change the subject as he popped a sucker into Sam's mouth, "How about we hit the firing range, huh Winchester?" It's in the basement next to the lock up and a couple feet of reinforced steel walls away from the cages; so we'll be able to finish up most of the tour there and I can see how good of a shot you are."

The two started down the stairs with their final destination in mind, "Novak! Rookie! We've got a problem. Chief wants you out, now. We just got a call for a body found on the corner of 6th and Franklin, and apparently the store owner can still hear gun shots. Supposedly be part of the murder cartel you've been covering." Gabriel's happy go lucky smile fell as he threw on his coat.

"Let's go Moose, we've gotta get out there and see if we can catch whoever is still shooting."

"R-Right!" Sam chased after Gabriel, who was already half way out of the building before he had a chance to answer.

"Sam, stay here, I'm going to try and cut him off before he can get through the rest of the alley and into the streets!" After almost hitting the perp with their squad car, Sam and Gabriel had spent 30 minutes chasing Azazel Addams through the countless alley ways and side streets of the city.

"Alright! Go!" Sam stood his ground, pistol in hand, as Gabriel shot off through the second alley, sure that he could catch Azazel. Minutes began to tick by, feeling like hours, until Sam heard a far off gunshot, "Ah, screw it!" He sped off in the direction of the sound; the exact alleyway that Gabriel had entered. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until he came across Gabe with an unconscious Azazel, leaning against an empty dumpster.

"Hey there Sammy, good to see you!" Gabriel laughed, trying to stand himself up, "I got him. However, I think he kind of got me too." Blood seeped from Gabriel's leg as he gave up and sat back down, "Get him in the car and call for someone to pick him up, I'll be fine until then."

"Gabriel, I can't just-"

"Winchester! Now! We don't want to risk him getting up and running off on us again. You don't know the city well enough and I don't think I'm in the shape to actually go running again at the moment. I'll be fine." With an angry glare towards Gabriel, Sam handcuffed Azazel and started dragging his unconscious body towards the car, calling in his position along the way.

Backup arrived soon after, taking Azazel into custody. "Sir, we can't get an emergency vehicle into the alley ways to get Detective Novak, and we don't know his exact location. We're going to need you to go back and get him so that we can give him medical attention." Sam nodded and headed back to where he had left Gabriel, silently praying that he was okay and cursing himself for not making sure he had stopped the bleeding before he left.

"Gabriel? You still with me man?" Sam kneeled down next to him, quickly checking his leg. He sighed in relief when he saw the makeshift tourniquet that Gabe had created with his jacket.

"Course I am. You've only been my partner for a day; you can't get rid of me that easy." Gabriel tried to laugh, patting Sam on the shoulder lightly.

"Yeah, well, I'd hope not." Sam leaned in further, checking Gabriel for any other wounds, "You sure you're-"

Sam was cut off as Gabriel sat forward, capturing his lips in a soft, yet forceful kiss. He tasted sweet, like warm caramel, with a hint of coffee and tobacco. He didn't know if they sat together like that for seconds or minutes, but he felt an immediate loss when Gabriel finally pulled away and waggled his eyebrows. "Thanks for coming back for me, Kiddo."


	2. You're On Gabriel Duty, Sammich!

Sam and Gabriel had walked in silence out of the alley way, to the emergency vehicle's waiting to take him in to check his leg. Why did he kiss me? Sam wondered to himself, Why did I let him kiss me? Gabriel's arm was around his waist, holding on for support after refusing to let Sam just carry him.

"C'mon Kiddo, I have appearances to keep up." Gabriel had laughed, originally trying to wave off any attempt at help.

If had taken him at least 10 minutes to even convince him to help this much.

"Novak! Winchester! We were starting to think you'd gotten lost… or that Novak had bled out. What took you so long?" The EMT scoffed, helping Sam lie Gabriel down on the gurney, "Michael came and did Azazel's pick up personally, said he wanted to make sure they got him in this time. He said to tell you good job."

"Oh awesome, the boss man said good job to me. " Gabriel jabbed Sam in the ribs softly, "I feel special."

"So, is he going to be alright?" Sam asked, ignoring Gabriel's attempts at keeping his attention, "From what I can tell, he stopped the bleeding pretty well with his coat, but there's no telling what will happen when we remove it; and I wasn't there when he was shot, so I don't know if the bullet is still in there or not."

"We'll get him checked out at the Hospital, but there's no way we can check him out here. We can never be too careful. For all we know, he could have nicked the femoral artery or something." He was loading Gabriel into the ambulance as they spoke, "They took your car; you riding with him?"

"Yeah, I'll hop in back with him." Sam nodded, trying to fight down the flush of his cheeks as Gabriel waggled his eyebrows at him from the ambulance." The EMT nodded to Sam as he climbed in, and shut the doors behind him. "You sure you're alright Gabe?"

"Psh. I'm fine Sammich, calm down. I've taken worse shots in the line of duty. I've been doing this long enough. I did my 2 years of college, and my training and all the fricken background checks!" He laughed, "I'm 32 years old. I've been in doing this job since I was 20. What about you; why did you become a cop, Sam?"

"Gabriel, I think you're going into shock." Sam avoided the subject like the plague, "How about you keep talking, and we'll come back to me when we know you're not about to pass out from blood loss?"

"Speaking of which, why isn't Gary back here taking care of me? Gary! Do you hear me! Why do I still have a coat around my leg?" Gabriel yelled towards the driver, "Ah, whatever. I'll be fine, I'm always fine! I have to be fine; who will take care of Snicker and Doodle if I'm not? 'Tis just a flesh wound!"

"Are you… are you really quoting Monty Python?"

"But of course!"

"Also, Snicker and Doodle? Really?"

"You leave my dogs out of this Samsquach. They're good girls." He nodded, "They keep me out of trouble."

"Uh huh." Sam nodded, letting Gabriel ramble on until they reached the hospital.

"Alright boys, time to get Novak inside and get that leg looked at." Sam climbed out and assisted with the gurney as Gary wheeled Gabriel into the hospital, trying his hardest to ignore the actual hospital, "Yo, Winchester. You coming, or do you plan on staring at that crack in the parking lot all night?"

"What? Oh! Sorry." Sam rushed to catch up to the EMT and his partner.

"You know what, I hate doctors." Gabriel grumbled. The bullet had been removed from his leg, and his wound stitched up, after a long lecture from the doctor towards Sam for not getting Gabriel in sooner, "Don't take what he said to mind; the man shouldn't talk to you like he knows you oh-so-personally-"

"Gabriel, why did you kiss me?" Sam choked out, cutting Gabriel off before he could continue.

"Good question Kiddo." Gabriel smiled softly, swinging his legs over the side of his bed and motioning for Sam to sit, "You looked worried. I figured it would be a distraction." Sam sat down next to him, watching him from the corner of his eyes, "Besides, I can't say it was so easy to fight the temptation with you so close like that."

"So do you just… Do that to everyone then?" Sam immediately regretted asking the question as Gabriel shot him a look that would have killed him if possible.

"Don't patronize me Sam." His face was completely stoic, "We may have just met, and that may have been sudden of me, but I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't-"

The doctor walked back in, causing Sam to jump off the bed and over to the other side of the room, silently thanking him for the intrusion, "Alright Mr. Novak. You're being released, but you're off duty for the next week. You really should be off that leg a bit longer, but I've already spoken to Chief Alexander, and he's agreed to put you on desk work until I have deemed you able to go back into the field. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Gabriel gave the doctor a mock salute and rolled his eyes.

"Mister Winchester, I've also been told to inform you that you are on 'Gabriel duty' until he can come back into work." Sam nodded; a little bit confused by the unorthodox approach this branch of the police force took in comparison to his former precinct in the city.

"Understood, sir. I'll make sure I keep an eye on him so he can recover quickly."

"Good. I'll get his discharge paperwork ready so you can take him home. I'm sure he'll be able to give you directions." The doctor nodded once more and stepped from the room.

"So. Gabriel duty, huh?" Gabriel tried to hold back a sly smile, "Looks like you're really stuck with me kiddo."

"I'm not too worried. After all, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

"This is probably the worst thing that could have ever happened to me." Sam groaned, holding the frozen bag between his legs, "I was wrong."

"Sorry. I think Snicker was excited…" Gabriel shifted on his crutches so he could pet the large fluffy German Sheppard, "At least Doodle feels bad." The black dog was standing next to Sam, her head on his lap, staring at him with the saddest eyes either man could have ever imagined. The moment Sam had swung open the door, the two girls had bum rushed him, expecting Gabriel. The height difference had been his downfall as they had collided roughly against him.

"It's not their fault. You told me you had dogs. I just didn't expect big dogs." He pet Doodle, "It's okay girl, I know you didn't mean it." In response, she whined and clamored next to him on the couch, never moving her head from Sam's lap. Snicker had refused to leave Gabriel's side, giving him a solid mass to lean against instead of the crutch.

"C'mon girl." Gabriel cooed, walking with Snicker to sit on the couch, "Sorry the place is such a mess. I don't usually have company."

"A mess?" Sam looked around the immaculate apartment, the cleanliness ruined by only the haphazard mountain of candy wrappers across the living room table, "If this is a mess, you should never walk into my apartment. However, please tell me you didn't eat all this candy in one sitting…?"

"Me? Oh no… Never…" Gabriel coughed illusively, "Okay, I can't lie to you Samsquach. I did."

"How do you not have diabetes or something, dude?"

"I have no idea, but I'm not going to question my body when it lets me eat all the candy I want." He smiled and shoved Sam softly, "Why, you worried about little 'ol me?" false

"Shut your pie hole Gabriel." Sam rolled his eyes and pushed back, putting him on the receiving end of a grunt from Doodle, "Sorry girl, didn't mean to dislodge your pillow." He patted her head again and watched Gabriel as he pulled Snicker onto the couch and into his lap.

"Poor baby has really bad hip dysplasia, so I spoil her a little more than her sister." Gabriel explained quietly as she curled up in his lap, tongue lolling out as Gabriel continued to shower her with his affections, "I think Doodle is well on her way to it too, seems to run in their family." Sam nodded a little and put his free arm across the back of the couch, accidentally brushing his hand across the back of Gabriel's neck in the process.

Gabe stiffened a little at Sam's touch, knowing it was unintentional but enjoying the feeling of skin on skin while it lasted, "So… Uhm…"

"Yeah." Gabriel looked over to Sam with a small smile, "You can stay here tonight, if you like. I only have one bed, but I can take the couch."

"I don't want to be a burden Gabe, especially when you're already injured. I'll take the girls out for you and be back first thing in the morning to help you out." He picked up Doodle and stood, setting her back down on the couch, "Let me get you up to bed first though, I don't trust you to go up those stairs with crutches." Snicker hopped off Gabriel's lap to sit next to her sister, as if she knew she would have had to move anyways, "So, let's get you to bed."

It took next to no time for Sam to help Gabriel hobble up the stairs and sat him down on his bed, "I appreciate the help Sam. God knows I'm too proud to ask for it, but I am grateful."

Hey, don't worry about it. We're partners now, I'd expect you would do the same for me if I got shot or beat up in the line of duty. You okay to get out of your uniform?"

"Yeah, I can handle it." Gabriel rolled his eyes, pulling off his uniform top, not bothering with the buttons as he threw it to the floor, "I got shot in the leg, not the 'everything else'." Sam tried to laugh at Gabriel's attempt at a joke, but found himself distracted by the contours of his chest and arms. He wasn't horribly muscular by any means, but fit, with an all over tan that proved the man spent many hours in the sun. His skin paled slightly around the edge of his pants, and Sam forced himself to look away before he let his mind go any further. He did not need to imagine the feel of those slim hips pressed against him, or the light pressure of his legs locked around his waist, "You okay Sam? You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine." Sam gasped, turning to step out the door as Gabriel lowered and threw his pants across the room, "I'll walk the girls and lock up. See you in the morning!" He rushed away, cursing himself as he leashed the girls and shook his head, "Why on earth was I so… Ugh. Stop it Sam. Don't think about it. It's just been a while; even men are starting to look attractive." He fed himself the lie as easily as he had in his teenage years; but as he walked the two dogs across the lawn to do their business, his mind wandered back to the earlier kiss and the intoxicating feel of Gabriel's hand's in his hair, "Oh man, I'm so screwed."


	3. Let's Take It Slow, Moose!

'What am I doing?' Sam groaned to himself as he reached the shelter of his own apartment, "One kiss and one unintentional strip show and I'm head over heels for someone I've just met? C'mon Sam. Let's not be stupid. He's your partner. Work partner! Work partner." He signed and tried to keep repeating this to himself, but he couldn't stop thinking about how those lean legs would feel wrapped tightly around his waist, the tingle of warm breath on his neck as he rode into ecstasy. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope." Sam threw himself onto his bed, clamping his hands onto the mattress, trying to force himself into the realm of dreams.

His phone went off at 6am; 'Heat of the Moment' echoing from the speakers, "Damnit Dean…" Sam growled to himself, trying to stave off a smile as he picked up the phone, "Did you really change your ringtone on my phone last time I saw you?"

"Shut up Samantha, you love it." Dean's voice was quiet on the line, "How is the new place and new job? You settling in alright, have everything you need? No one is giving you problems?"

"Dean, I'm 28 years old. I don't need you to baby me anymore. I can handle this. I just needed a new place and I really needed the new job, and I've already got a partner who… Well, he's a little off the wall, but seems like a good guy."

"Uh huh… Either way, I wish you would come home. We miss you." Sam smiled, looking over to the small framed photo of Dean, his husband Cas, and himself from a few summers back that sat on his nightstand; the only clean area in his home.

"I miss you guys too, but I need this. You know I do. This was the last place that…"

"I know Sammy. Look, just promise you'll visit when you start getting vacation." Another faint voice echoed from the phone line, "Look, Cas just got in. I've got to go. Stay safe little brother." The line went dead, and Sam swung his legs off the bed and onto the floor.

"I hope Gabriel doesn't mind me coming by early…. I wish I knew when Dean became such an early bird." Sam slowly plucked his uniform off and dug through the piles of clothes in an attempt to find something relatively clean; settling on a worn pair of jeans and a loose red sweatshirt, taking no effort to find an undershirt to go along with it.

The walk from his place to Gabriel's seemed much shorter in the early light of day; the streets were quiet, almost empty, save for a few birds. "Hey there, Sammich! Good morning!" Gabriel called, waving from his spot on the front porch.

"Gabriel? What are you doing out of bed! How did you even…. Are you in a computer chair?"

"I am, indeed! Snicker and Doodle got up early and wanted out, so I figured, can't walk, so why not take them out and sit in the wheel-y chair and let them to their thing." Gabriel barely got out the last word before the girl's caught sight of Sam and took off towards him; pulling Gabriel behind them.

Sam had only moments to brace himself before the girl's pounced him to the ground; the sudden stop turning Gabriel into a projectile. He landed on top of Sam, hands pressed onto his chest as the girl's went on with their affectionate assault on Sam's face. "Nice catch Sam. How are you this morning?" He patted Sam's chest, his face reddening slightly, "Sorry about that; I guess the girl's like you. They don't normally run off like that or I probably would have thought the computer chair was a worse idea than it probably was."

"It's, uh, It's okay." Sam nodded a little, unable to look Gabriel in the eyes, "Think we can, uh, get up?"

"Samuel! At least take me out to a real dinner first. I've got some standards." Gabriel rolled his eyes with a smile.

"That's, that's not what I mean and you know it."

"Aw, are you telling me you have a problem Sammy boy?"

"What? No!" Sam shot up, Gabriel still clung to his chest, his legs falling around Sam's hips to ease the pain in his wound, "Shit, I'm sorry, are you okay?" He turned slightly and ran his hand over the bandages he knew lied beneath Gabriel's clothing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It'll take more than running into a moose to keep me down." Snicker whined and pushed against Gabriel's side, helping him steady himself as he stood. "As much as I'm enjoying being close and cuddly, the girl's need breakfast, and so do I. Care to join us?" He pushed himself back into the computer chair, Snicker and Doodle sitting on either side of him, watching Sam, and for a moment, Sam thought he saw a glimpse of fear in Gabriel's eyes.

"Sure. I'd love to." He dusted himself off as he stood, taking the leashes out of Gabriel's hands, "But I'll take the girls, so we don't have to worry about you flying off into someone else." He turned the chair around and started pushing Gabriel to the house.

"Dog food is under the counter." Gabriel pouted, as Sam set him on the couch, pushing the chair and crutches across the room, "You could at least let me make breakfast!"

"No. Just stay sitting. Didn't we talk about this last night?" Sam rolled his eyes, and dug out the bag of dog food, "How much do the girls get?"

"A cup and a half each; Snicker gets the blue bowl on the stand, Doodle has the red one on the ground…"

"Alright, I can do that; and what do you want for breakfast?" He fed the field and opened the fridge, happy to find it well stocked.

"Uh, cereal is fine; it should be on top of the fridge, behind the bread."

"Gabe, you've got enough here to make huge meals, and you want to eat cereal? No, not while I'm here. I'm going to make real food. How about pancakes and eggs, does that sound okay?"

"You're too good to me Sam." Gabriel sighed happily, "You know, it's been a long time since I've had company this long, this many days in a row. Most of my partners run away screaming after a day or so, and none of them have ever stayed back to help me; even under the chief's orders." He rubbed his leg and laid his head back against the sofa, "I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it Gabriel. I got use to taking care of my brother as I grew up, he kept me out of trouble and when…" He paused, flipping the pancakes, "Well, when tragedy struck, he was right there with me; his husband too. Dean is a therapist, specializing in soldiers with PTSD, and his husband is a surgeon. Between the two of them… well, they tried everything."Both men remained quietly as Sam finished breakfast.

"What happened Sam… I mean, if you don't mind talking about it." Gabriel asked softly, as Sam sat beside him with the food, Snicker and Doodle snoozing at their feet, their bellies full.

"I… Well, if you're going to have to deal with me, I might as well tell you the whole story…"


	4. I've Got You, Samsquach

Sam took a deep breath, and stared at Gabriel, "So… I might as well start at the beginning… It was my first year of college when I met her. Jessica. I knew the moment I laid my eyes on her, that she was the only woman I would ever want, for the rest of my life. She had eyes the color of a clear sky after a rainstorm, and her laugh made everyone around her feel like angels sang for them. It was a clear day, the first time we ran into each other; she was on the way to one class and I was rushing off to another. We literally collided; her face and my elbow were quickly acquainted."

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?" Sam grimaced as he helped the poor woman to her feet, "I'm late for pre-law and I just wasn't watching."

"I'm okay. Thank you. I'll probably have a shiner, but it would have been worse." She smiled at him; her eyes lighting up as she held out her hand, "Jessica Moore. Are you are?"

"Uh, I'm Sam. Sam Winchester. It's very nice to meet you Jessica."

"Please, just call me Jess. I'll see you around Sam Winchester."

Gabriel watched as the wide array of emotions played across Sam's face, watched as his hands clenched and unclenched, like he didn't want to remember this story, "It's okay Sammich. You don't have to tell me."

"No, I'm fine… Just give me a minute." He squeezed his eyes shut and placed his hand on Doodle's head and scratched behind her ears in an attempt to calm himself, "Well. I went to class, but couldn't focus on anything. All I could think about was Jess that smile…" He cleared his throat and looked down at his lap, "I didn't see her again until a few weeks later, and she was sitting in the library wearing this huge Stanford sweater and the dorkiest pink bunny pajama pants that I had ever seen, pouring over an anatomy text-book."

"Anatomy text-book, huh?" Sam stood behind Jess with a smile, unprepared for the sheer weight of the purse that smacked him in the face. "Ow! Son of a…" The string of expletives that came out of his mouth would have made even his father wash his mouth out with soap.

"Shit, I'm sorry! You scared me!" Jess quickly jumped out of her chair, swinging around to stare at the person she had just assaulted, "Well! Sam Winchester. I suppose this makes us even?"

"Hi Jess. Yeah, I guess this does." He rubbed his face, trying to relieve the stinging sensation spreading across his cheek, "How are you?"

"Good! I'm going into nursing, so I'm just trying to prepare myself for the hell I'm probably putting myself through for the next few years." She reached up and placed her hand over his, "Sorry I hit you with my bag."

"We'll just call it karma, alright?" He smiled again, "Or, you know, we could always just go out for coffee or something? It's my treat."

"You had me at coffee. Let's go."

"She grabbed my hand, and we were off. We started seeing each other pretty soon after, spending every moment outside of class together. Studying, eating, sleeping… We were both doing well in our classes, and ended up deciding to move in together after a few months. It was a really small place, just enough room for our bed and a few small pieces of furniture, but it was home. Looking back at it, I wish I would have appreciated that place more. We stayed there for two years; and by then, Jess had graduated with her bachelors in nursing and was off looking at jobs. She always wanted to help people. I was still plugging along, taking extra classes so I could finish off pre-law and get into Stanford's full law program."

"Things went like that for a while, and two more years passed. I'd finished up pre-law, and she was working full time as a nurse. That's actually how Dean met his husband, Cas." Sam smiled again, thinking about his brother and the man who had turned his life upside down, "My brother use to be quite the ladies man, before Cas, but those two… well, sparks flew when they met. It took them a little while, but they'll have been married for 3 years this December."

"Sounds like you really love those two." Gabriel smiled, patting Sam's hand.

"Yeah, I really do." He nodded, "Like I said, they were there once everything went bad." He shivered and Gabriel laced their fingers together, trying to provide some sort of comfort, "Since Jess and I were both doing so well, we decided to buy a house and get married. Nothing big, just a little court ceremony with Dean and Cas as witnesses for the marriage, and a little bungalow outside of the city, but not too far from campus. Everything was just… amazing."

"Well, what do you think Jess?"

"It's beautiful Sam. I love it, and I love you." Jess smiled, pressing herself against Sam's side as they took their first step into their new home, "I've got some news though… Before we go any further or say anything else." Sam's grin fell as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a deep blue card, "I wanted to tell you sooner, but the time just never felt right, and we were both so busy…"

The card in his hand felt heavy, and he opened it slowly, revealing a dry, but used, pregnancy test; two pink lines, bright against the white backing, "Are you pregnant? Really?" He froze, his hands moving to settle on Jess's stomach, no sign of the new life forming just yet.

"Positive. I spoke with one of the doctors and we ran all of the right tests. You're going to be a Daddy, Sam. We're going to be parents."

Gabriel's eyes widened as Sam clenched his hand tighter, almost seeming to be holding onto Gabriel like a life line, "We were so excited Gabe. Jess had always wanted kids, and we were so ready…" Tears glistened in the larger man's eyes, threatening to fall, "We painted the nursery as soon as we found out the gender; we were going to have a little girl. I prayed every night that she would have her mother's golden hair and love of life, and that she wouldn't get as tall as I did." He choked back a laugh.

"Everything was perfect. Just perfect, we had our whole life ahead of us; until the fire happened. Jess had been home alone; I had a late class that I couldn't skip, even though her due date was so close. I wanted us to be able to have the best future possible for our growing family." He tried to explain, his body starting to shake as he tried to hold back the sorrow he hadn't relived since, "It was a gang initiation. They came in while Jess was making dinner. She didn't expect a thing, maybe because she thought I was home early, I don't know." The tell-tale tears started to fall, "They… did things to her first. We never found out to what extent, but we knew. After they finished with her, they tied her to the stairs and set the place on fire. By the time I got home, the police and ambulance were already there. Jess was still alive, but barely, and we rushed her to the hospital. Cas was on duty, and did his best, but… She didn't make it."

"Sam." Cas stood in the doorway, his own hands clenched close to his side, "She's fading fast, we can't keep her much longer. She could barely talk, but demanded we try to save the baby…" He choked a little, "Sam, we need you to tell us what to do. If we try to save the baby, we'll lose her without a doubt, but if we don't, we will more than likely lose them both. What do you want us to do?"

"Cas, I…" Dean had his arm wrapped around his brother's shoulders.

"Cas, you can't really expect him to make this kind of choice." His voice was cracked, his eyes tired, "This is…"

"Listen to her demands Cas." Sam whispered, "But please, try to save them both."

"Cas did his best, but Jess passed away almost immediately after the pulled the baby from her… I got to hold my daughter for less than five minutes before she died too. She had my eyes… and a head full of golden curls…" Sam was nearly sobbing, unable to hold back any longer, "That's why I became a cop, Gabriel. I need to find the men who did this, I need justice."

Gabriel could hold back no longer, he pulled Sam close and held him tight, "Just let it out Sam. I've got you." He was barely able to contain his own tears as Sam clung to him, his head sitting in the crook of his neck as he cried, "I've got you…"


	5. We Can Do This, Gigantor!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The after affect of the Sam's admission of his sorrows and past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the way-too-long-from-post-date update! I'd like to thank the lovely commenter, "ASDF" for reminding me that some people still like Sabriel and actually read this, which prompted me to get back to work on this and get the ball rolling again! You rock.

Sam and Gabriel stayed in the same position for what felt like hours, but was only moments, pulled apart by the sizzle of pancakes in the background, “I'm sorry Gabe. Please don't think that this will interfere with my actual work during the day.” Sam stood, his eyes still glistening with unshed tears, and moved to take care of breakfast before it began to burn.

“Sam, I...” Gabriel ran his hand down his face, unsure for the first time in his life what he should say, “Thank you. For telling me, I mean. Even if this were to 'get in the way' of work, I wouldn't judge you for it. Something like this.... For the people responsible to have not been caught... I wouldn't have been able to handle it the way you are. I would probably still be hiding under my own bed, drowning in sorrow and chocolate.” He hobbled his way over to the counter, using Snicker for support the entire way, before clasping his hand on Sam's shoulder, “If there is anything I can do. Any way I can help what-so-ever, let me know. I would love to help you take those bastards down.” 

He turned towards Gabriel, slightly shocked, “I couldn't ask you to do that.”

“You didn't ask, I offered, and I don't let me offers be denied!” Gabriel pouted, stomping his good leg onto the ground like a child, forcing a fit of laughter from Sam.

“Oh really now. Not denied ever, huh?” Gabriel flushed, pushing Sam back and turning his back to him with a dramatic wave.

“Well c'mon Moose, who could ever deny this?” His voice was laced with laughter, “I mean, seriously.” The two men shared another laugh before Sam guided Gabe back to his seat.

“Alright, alright.” He wiped the remainder of the moisture from his eyes, thankful for such a goof of a partner, “Now stay still or no chocolate chips in your pancakes.”

“You're putting chocolate chips in my pancakes?!” Gabriel gasped, clasping his hands together, “You be careful or I might have to keep you, Sammich.” Snicker and Doodle yipped in approval, crowding Sam near the stove in hopes of dropped batter.

Sam laughed, continuing the on and off banter with Gabriel and 'dropping' bits of pancakes for the girls as he finished breakfast. The smell of pancakes and golden eggs, with just enough cheese, filling the kitchen, Gabriel's stomach decided to roar with impatience, “Well then! I suppose I can take that as a compliment?” Gabriel nodded, eyes shinning as Sam placed the plates and food, buffet style, over the table.

“Oh yeah, I'm going to have to keep you, Sam Winchester. You must be a gift from God.” Gabriel swooned, winking at Sam, before digging into breakfast. Lucky for Sam, Gabriel missed the affectionate smile and blush that had graced Sam's face.

~

“No, I don't want to go back! Especially not to desk duty!” Gabriel cried, clinging to his couch, “I want to go back to good food and movies and candy and fun, like we were having before!” 

“Gabriel! We have to go back, you have to pay bills! The girls need you to be able to pay for their expensive toys you just have to get them and the amount of candy you go through in a day is not going to pay for itself!” Sam rolled his eyes, choosing to play Gabriel's game for a moment.

“No! You work! I would be a good house wife, I promise! I'll even stop eating as much candy and cook real food for you in a skimpy apron like in all those chick flicks you made me watch, just don't make me go back!”

“As tempting as all of that sounds, Gabriel.” Sam laughed, picking up Gabriel and hoisting him over his shoulder, “I don't think Michael would be too happy to hear that I turned you into a house wife after just a week.” Gabriel flailed against his shoulder, beating his hands softly against Sam's back for a moment. “I'm going to put you in the car now, and we're going to work, alright Gabrie---ow!” Gabriel had chosen that exact moment to smack his hand against Sam's ass in protest, “That's it. I'm taking your chocolate out of your lunch and replacing it with a salad Mister!”

“Not my chocolate!” Gabriel whimpered, patting Sam's butt lightly, “I promise I won't hit you so hard next time Sam's-Ass, I didn't mean to upset you.” Sam's face flushed crimson as he dropped Gabriel into the car.

“Stop talking to my ass! He's mad at you.” He kept a straight face as long as he could before they both settled into a fit of laughter. After a week of constant companionship, the two had settled into a good groove, and Sam was happier than he had been since before the incident. He clamored into the drivers seat before punching Gabriel lightly in the shoulder, “You're not really that upset about going back to work are you?”

“Well, I'm not looking forward to sitting at a desk all day long.” Gabriel admitted, twiddling his thumbs in his lap, “Plus, this past week has been so much fun, I'd forgotten why I was on leave, you know? So, I'll be happier when I can be out in the field with you again. I mean, we only got one day before I got shot.” He threw his hands in the air, “I wasn't even the one who shot me! I mean, c'mon.”

“Please don't tell me you've shot yourself before?” Sam laughed for a moment, before he saw the serious look on Gabriel's face, “Seriously? You've shot yourself?”

“Long story Sammich, and one for another time.” Gabriel waggled his eyebrows, “Now, tally-ho Winchester! We're going to be late!” He patted his hands on the dash of the police vehicle with a grin, prompting Sam to begin the short drive to the office. He briefly rubbed a small spot on the back of his head, rubbing the long healed bullet wound in remembrance before chattering along with Sam again, “Let's do this shit!” He thrust his fist upwards, crashing it against the car roof, “Oh my god, that hurt so fucking much, ow!” Gabriel groaned. Sam could do not more than roar in laughter.


	6. We've Got A Case, Sammy Boy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe is finally out of desk duty and ready to head back out! What adventures will be in store for him and his partner today? Who knows! Tune in below for the newest case!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of anything for the summary, if you couldn't tell. Read it in a radio talk show voice. It makes it more amusing. 
> 
> Any who! Thank you to the lovely commenters and silent readers who have stuck around with the other 5 chapters, here is chapter 6 for your viewing pleasures. I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, leave me a comment! I try my best to reply to everyone. I think this is my longest chapter so far, and we'll finally start getting into the drama and the reason for the title. Enjoy!

Six long weeks has passed since the incident with Azazel, and Gabriel had finally been given permission to get away from the desk and back into the field.“Oh sweet mother of homemade fudge! It feels so amazing to be out of that office!” Gabriel moaned, gripping the steering wheel of the squad car a little tighter, “Even better to be able to drive again, which I so could have done before hand. So, Sammy, how was partnering with Garth from the Juvenile division while I was out?”

“Is that what we're calling CPS now, Gabe? The Juvenile division?” Sam rolled his eyes, but smiled; happy to have his actual partner back and on the streets. He wasn't key to admit he has missed seeing Gabriel every day, not yet anyways.

“Yeah. Him. I mean, if we're still sharing the building with them, they get to be a division right?” 

“I don't know if that is how it works.” Sam paused, drumming his hands on the dash, “Well, it was... Different. I met Mister Fizzles and a few kids, helped keep Garth from being turned into a human pancake on a few occasions since he said the wrong thing to the wrong parent. He kept telling me I was a liar though, which I still don't get.”

“Garth? Really?” He looked over to Sam quizzically, eyebrow raised in surprise.

“Nah, Mister Fizzles.” Sam grinned and the two men burst into laughter until tears sprang to their eyes and Gabriel began to swerve the vehicle as he doubled over. It took a few seconds before he was able to pull over and park, the laughter not seeming to want to die off.

“Mister Fizzles? Seriously? He made you talk to Mister Fizzles, and the sock called you a liar?” Gabriel wiped at the tears and clutched his belly.

“Don't diss Mister Fizzles. Did you know he's technically on the payroll?” Gabriel halted his laughter like he had been struck, “Yeah, according to Garth they pay him in fabric softener and replacement buttons for his eyes.” The duo broke into the giggles again.

“Oh my god, Sammich. I missed this.” Gabriel sighed, “You know, I think Snicker and Doodle miss you. Doodle especially. She sits by the door a lot with that pair of shoes you left when you were over last.” He conjured the image to mind of the large dog wrapped around the set of simple sneakers, head against her paws. Ears perked at every sound outside, tail thumping against the floor, until she realizes the noises are normal outside noises. Sometimes the mail man, sometimes the children next door... Not Sam. “You should, you know, come by. We can walk the girls together and hit up the cafe down the road that has outdoor seating. They even have salad!” Gabriel sung his final sentence, nudging Sam with his elbow, “What do you say?”

Sam raised his eyebrow at Gabriel for a moment. Was he holding his breath? “Yeah, I'd like that. I have to get those shoes back anyways, and I miss the girls...” And you, “Too.”

“Awesome! So, how about tonight? We've only got a few hours left anyways, and this way I can stuff my face full of candy instead of walking home!”

“Gabriel. Have you been walking to and from work?”

“Maybe...” Gabriel flinched a little, pulling the vehicle from the side of the street and back onto it, “I'm driving, don't be mad!”

“Gabriel Novak! Seriously? I could have taken you to work! Why didn't you just tell me? You know, this is probably why you had to stay at that desk so long, you didn't let your leg heal properly!” Sam threw his hands into the air, careful not to crush them against the roof of the car, “Damnit Gabe.” 

For precious seconds, Gabriel was silent, “I'm sorry.” He whispered, “I don't like to make people take care of me. I'm stubborn, and you are my partner, not my...” He paused again, his face flushed slightly.

“Novak, Winchester. Are you available?” The radio buzzed, Michael on the line rather than the normal dispatcher.

“Of course Chief. What's going on? You don't usually radio, well, anyone.”

“We've got another lead on the Addams family, and we need you two to go out and check on this.”

“Alright, want to fill us in over the radio or want us to come back to the station?” Sam and Gabriel stared at each other for a moment, wondering how a day that had started with so much laughter could take this kind of turn so suddenly.

“I'll going to be quick about this, boys, but you damn well better pay attention.” Michael snapped, “We've got word of a group of between six and twelve women that Luc Addams has been trafficking, and where they are being held, and we want you to get to them as soon as possible. If we're lucky, we'll find and remove Luc, if it's a good day, we'll at least rescue those girls and get them home to their families where they belong. Don't make it a bad day or I'll have your asses, you understand? I'll sending you the GPS coordinates to your computer. I'll be sending backup as soon as possible. Gabriel, this has been your case for years, and we know you know the ins and outs but...” He paused, voice softening for only a moment, “Be careful. We don't need to lose anyone else to this psychopath.”

Sam and Gabriel received the information needed and kicked on the lights, racing through the streets to what appeared to be no more than a rundown hotel, “Alright, kiddo. First big bust, you ready for this?”

“Gabriel, shouldn't we wait for the back up? Remember what happened last time?”

“Sam, there are people in there, daughters and mothers and cousins and sisters, and they need our help. I'm not going to risk anyone else because I waited.” Sam's heart broke at the look in Gabriel's eyes, the look of a man who had waited one minute to late, one too many times, “If you want to wait, feel free, but I'm going in.” He reached for his gun and silenced himself, approaching what appeared to be the primary door, Sam following closely, peering in through the boarded windows, “Alright, I can just barely see them, it looks like nine women from this angle, could be more, but without a doubt at least the nine. Sam, I'm heading in this way, watch my back and keep an eye out for anyone other than our guys heading in. If you hear or see anyone at all, knock three times on the wood outside the window for our guys, two for unknown, and one for anyone suspicious. I'm going in.” 

Sam watched almost in awe as Gabriel broke down the door with his shoulder. How could this be the same man who joked all day and engulfed candy like it was air? He had never seen Gabriel in full justice mode, and was taken aback by the knots growing in his stomach. 'It's just because I'm worried', Sam told himself, 'Not because I'm turned on. No way. I do not find this attractive. You're at work. Act like it, you can not get distracted like this.' 

When Gabriel burst into the room, the women started to scream, “Hush ladies, I'm here to help you. We're going to get you out of here and get you home, alright, but I need you to be quiet and follow me. Please, I can't help if you won't trust me. I promise, we'll get you all out of here. One at a time, we're going to head out. My partner is outside.” He held his hand out, taking a total head count of 11 women, some appearing to be no older than 16, “Are any of you injured?”

“Just Amy.” One of the younger girls squeaked, “Her last appointment got a little rough.” She pointed to the corner where the smallest woman sat, her hair still caked in blood with a large gash down the side of her face, reaching just past her hairline.

“Okay. Amy? Can you hear me? You don't have to talk, just nod if you can, okay? My name is Gabriel. I am going to have to come over there and pick you up. No funny business, I promise. Is that okay?” Amy shrunk back against the wall, but nodded. Gabriel carefully picked her up, as he would with a small child, and carried her outside, carefully watching the other women during the process. “Sam, I need you to take Amy to the car and get her something to drink from the bag in the trunk and check that head wound. I think her jaw may be broken too, so please be careful with her, okay?” Sam had nodded, and done his best to help the girl as Gabriel slowly lead each of the women out of the building and left them under Sam's care as he searched the room. Below one of the straw mats he saw a flash of green, snatching it before looking anywhere else, but refusing to open it, just in case it belonged to one of the girls. 

Back up arrived to check the remainder of the hotel for anything else. The sights were grizzly, some containing signs of the abuses the women had faced, but others... 

“Novak. Winchester. We've got a bad situation upstairs, and you two might want to see this.” The man must have been new, as Gabriel did not recognize the name emblazoned on the uniform. He kept his head down, hand covering his mouth, his skin pale, both assumed from the sights he had to endure.

They followed the officer up the stairs to the master suite of the building, and he left them to it, claiming he could not view the room again without contaminating the site with his lunch. “You want to open the door, or do you want me to?” Gabriel attempted to joke, watching as Sam also grew pale. The scent of blood and rot permeated their senses with the door closed, neither wanted to really look in.

“If you could, Gabe...” Sam cringed, “I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm really ready to see what is in there.” Gabe nodded, slowly, and turned the knob, pushing the door open with a gasp.

The bodies of at least six dozen women littered the floor, all in various stages of decay, and on the largest wall, in what Gabriel hoped wasn't, but knew was, dried blood.

Four words remained among the nail marks and bodies.

“Hello, Little Brother. Enjoy.”


	7. A Clue In Uniform, Samalam.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Sam go over clues about the case and cover details...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me. It took me way too long to update to begin with and then I... Well, read the thing and you'll see what I did. 
> 
> Don't hate me.
> 
> Drama is my friend.

“W-why would someone do this?” Sam choked out the words with obvious difficulty, bracing himself in the door frame, “This is horrible. Even for a madman, this is horrible.” 

“Sam. Go call Michael. We need him here as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for anyone in the area who seems suspicious and find the officer who came in first so we can see if he touched anything at all...” Gabriel ground his teeth together, suspicions running through his head, “I should not have let the officer out of my sight until we got answers.”

“I'll call.” Happy with any excuse to get away from the gruesome sight, Sam walked back downstairs in search of a good signal.

As soon as Sam was out of view, Gabriel slipped on a pair of gloves and reached back through his pockets and pulled out the green slip he had seen beneath the matting in the room the girls had been kept captive, and immediately wished he had looked at it before he had grabbed it. In the same handwriting as on the wall, the words “With Love, -L” ran across the paper. Gabriel muffled a curse and set the paper aside again before toeing around the mass of bodies, careful not to disrupt anything further than he may have already done, in hopes of seeing anything he might recognize. After a few minutes, he heard the tell tale siren screech that noted Michael’s arrival. “He must have already been on his way....” Gabriel cursed to himself a little, knowing that Michael would make him take special interest in this case, far beyond what he wanted to get back into.

He walked back out of the room, paper back in hand, and awaited Michael, “Novak. Please tell me the sight Winchester described is not as bad as it sounded.”

“I'm afraid anything he may have told you will probably not have even scratched the surface of what you will see in that room boss. I also found this downstairs. I thought it may just have belonged to one of the girls, so I grabbed it without thinking. I apologize ahead of time, in my opinion it was a mistake that should not have been made.” Michael pulled on gloves of his own before taking the paper from Gabriel.

“Do you think that...”

“Yes sir.”

“Novak, you and Winchester saved 11 lives today and will be raising the weight of the shoulders of many a family.” Michael nodded to himself, “Before we continue on this case, you know we'll have to pull you in again. You'll have to fill in Winchester.” Gabriel flinched and stared down at his shoes.

“Fill me in with what, sir?” Sam questioned, he had appeared behind Michael without either man taking notice.

“I think you should be asking Gabriel on this one. You two head back to the station, discuss any details you need and then Novak... Explain all that you can.”

“Yes sir.” Gabriel still had not looked up from his shoes, and walked past both Michael and Sam without another word, slipping into the passenger side of the squad car; the most silent he had even been, much to Sam's dismay. Sam joined him in the car and placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Silence. “Gabriel, please. What is going on?”

“Please Sam, lets just go. I will explain everything back at the station. What I am going to be telling you is classified information, and you will be the only one aside from the chief... We can't risk anyone else hearing.” Sam nodded, and drove off. 

No one saw the unnamed officer standing off to the side, palms covered in blood, grinning ear to ear as they drove off.

“Alright Gabriel.” Sam's patience was running thin as the two locked themselves in their office as Gabriel busied himself closing the blinds, still avoiding eye contact with his partner, “Spilling time.”

“Did you find the officer who directed us towards the room with the bodies?” Gabriel finally asked, hands tightly gripped at his sides.

“No, there were plenty of people who were told to search the upstairs, but no one owned up. Why? What is going on!”

“I think our nameless officer was one of the bad guys; and by bad guys, I don't mean the ones who drink the rest of the coffee and then don't start a new pot.” Gabriel attempted to joke, but his posture sagged as he finally looked back to Sam, “I found a note on the ground floor where we found the women, all it said was 'With Love, -L' and in a situation like this, L can only be one person.”

“Luc Addams.” Sam closed his eyes, muffling a curse.

“Yeah. Exactly. I thought it may be something belonging to one of the girls, so I grabbed it, but I should have known. It was too out in the open, even being underneath as many mats as it was. It was there to be noticed.”

“So he knew we would be there, probably left those girls for us to find.”

“Correct.” Gabriel was starting to fidget again, pacing beside the wall, “The information they will probably be able to provide us will be sparse, and potentially fictional depending on how engrained they are into the system. Amy, the injured one, will probably be our best bet for information. Luc or one of his goons will probably have broken her jaw for that very purpose, but even then, that could really have been from a... client.” He cringed; he was obviously trying to ramble on about the case details.

“Gabriel, we can't hypothesize on all of this right now.” Sam lead him to a chair and sat him down, pulling up a chair in front of him and pinning Gabriel's kneed between his own, “There is something you're avoiding telling me. I'm assuming it is whatever the chief wanted you to explain, this classified information.”

“Sam.” Gabriel took a deep breath, “Please know that if I could have told you all of this before, I would have. I didn't have the clearance to say anything, but it is only fair that you know my story since you told me yours. Please though... I'm begging you. Don't walk out. Don't leave.” He was choking out the words, his hands clawing into his own legs as he fought to keep some semblance of himself, “Please...”

“I promise, Gabe.” Sam placed his own hands atop of Gabriel's, attempting to give him comfort and the courage to go on, just as Gabriel had when Sam had to bare his own heart. Without thinking, he placed a soft kiss on top of Gabriel's head, lying his forehead against him.

“Alright Sam...” Gabriel took a deep breath, unmoving as he did not want to break any connection, “Before I became a police officer...”


	8. Time To Tell Your Story, Short Stack!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel tells his side of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY this took so long. I had only planned on leaving it on that note before hand for like a week! Not a month. Sorry, please don't be mad! I had a pretty large altercation with my roommie and had to move pretty suddenly, but now I'm in my new place and everything is going great and hopefully I won't be leaving this long between chapters again!
> 
> Anyways, ENJOY THE HEART BREAK!

“Before I became a police officer, way before I became a police officer, I was put into the witness protection program.” Gabriel sighed a little, thankful when Sam intertwined their hands, “I had witnessed a murder, the murder of almost my entire family. I was only 8 and I had a nightmare, something about someone stealing my candy or something I guess, but I walked into my parents room looking for someone to make the nightmares go away. Both of my parents looked like they were sleeping, so I went over to my Mom, she would usually read me a story and give me a lollipop so I tended to go to her first, and grabbed her hand. She was ice cold.” He paused, and moved his head to Sam's shoulder, closing his eyes in an effort to block out the sight and yet knowing it wouldn't help.

Sam did not like where this was going, but squeezed Gabe's hand, prompting him to continue when he was ready.

“I pulled her a little bit, just enough that it may have woken her up, but when I tugged... Her head fell over towards me, her throat slashed. I wanted to scream, I wanted to so badly, but I couldn't. I can still see her eyes, Sam. Usually so much like my own, full of life and love and joy... They looked like glass; glazed over and almost fish-like...” He was beginning to shake, “So I ran to my Dad, all the way around the bed, hoping against hope that maybe he wasn't the same... but he was worse. His eyes has been torn out, throat cut just like Mom's, probably first to prevent the screaming I would think, but he looked tortured. His chest was ripped open, clumsily and probably meant to be painful, but I would imagine... God, I still hope to this day they were both dead before.... before he got to work on Dad. Each one of his fingers was sliced open, so were his toes. His legs looked like ribbons...”

~

“Daddy... Mommy.... why... what happened...” Gabriel recalled choking out the words, clutching his teddy close, not even realizing the amount of blood on his hands and pajamas. 

“They were naughty, Gabriel.” A voice whispered from the shadows, “So very naughty. Daddy couldn't handle the business anymore... he tried to leave it, so Unca talked to me and told me all the naughty things Mommy and Daddy did, and he told me what I had to do.” Lucifer stepped out, knives in hand, grinning ear to ear; looking as though he really had torn through their parents, but Gabriel didn't want to believe it, not his brother... He couldn't have done something like that.

“Luc, please, you can't... why would you... This can't be real!” He had screamed at his brother then, dropping his teddy to the floor and clutching his tiny hands together, “No, no, no!”

“Gabriel, come with me.” A knife fell to the carpet as Lucifer reached out to his brother, open handed, “We can go with Unca. Become the people we need to be. Destroy everything and everyone in our way! We can be grown ups for real! No more school, no more homework, no more rules except for the ones we make for ourselves! Real justice Gabe, we could be the greater good in the world!” Gabriel had backed away, slowly at first, before bolting out the door, tears streaming down his face.

~

He was sobbing into Sam's shoulder, “No one can know who I am. No one can realize Luc Addams is my older brother. They'll take me out of the area and remove me from the force. I was relocated, kicked from foster home to foster home... I acted out, started to prank everyone to the point where they would keep away from me. I always thought it was safer that way... That if Luc ever found me, and I kept everyone away, no one would ever end up like my parents because of me.”

“Gabriel...” Sam pulled him close, nearly crushing him in an embrace.

“They had never found Luc again when I was a kid, our home burnt to the ground. I found out later that Luc has slaughtered everyone else. Not just Mom and Dad, but my sisters and brothers... As I got older, newspapers would end up on my desk, or my doorstep, clips that were so obviously from Luc. I heard when he turned eighteen, he killed my uncle too, and that is how he took over I guess. He was 14 when he massacred my family.” Gabriel forced the tears back and hugged Sam back, “I was doing great until you came around Kiddo. No real attachments aside from the dogs, but then I got shot and you were amazing and you've been such a great friend and I really do like you... When you told me what happened to your wife... Sam, it is so close to Luc's base M.O. and I was so afraid to tell you this, even with the chief's permission, because I was afraid you would find out before I could explain and then you would hate me when I finally could tell you...” Gabriel was beginning to ramble on, panicking in his own right.

“I wouldn't hate you Gabriel, especially not for something you obviously couldn't control. You were eight years old for God's sake! I will be honest though, I did begin to suspect Luc Addams and his organization after looking into the old case files for this area, but Gabe... this gives us both more incentive to make sure he is caught. We can honor the memories of both of our families by catching him and putting him behind bars for good.” Sam brushed away the remainder of Gabriel's tears, catching his face between his hands and brushing another soft kiss against his forehead, “We're partners, and we will be the best damn partners this place has ever seen, and we will get Luc.”

Gabriel smiles, staring into Sam's eyes, seeing the determination and the honesty and the encouragement, “Yeah. We can do this. Especially now. The others have to be hot on at least some sort of trail based off the evidence, I mean, no one is perfect and even without the witnesses they had to slip up somewhere right?”


	9. We Just Keep Spinning Our Wheels, Angel!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Gabriel have been working constantly for the last six months; but has it all been in vain?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been like... two and a half years since I updated this, or anything really. However, at long last I have a functioning computer, a job that doesn't make me want to sob in a corner, and the time to actually work on things. Sorry again for the wait, but hopefully, it won't take another two years for another chapter to come out. Welcome back to "Of Deals and Devils".

They had not slipped up, anywhere. Gabriel and Sam, as well as the rest of the force, had combed every inch of the hotel for prints, DNA… anything that could help them bring the Addams cartel to justice. Nothing that could link them had been found. “If it wasn’t for the fact that we were able to identify all of the bodies and provide closure to the rest of the families, I would think we had wasted the last 6 months tearing apart this place, Sam.” Gabe sighed, removing his gloves and leaning against the squad car, “We weren’t even able to find something as simple as a piece of hair. I would have been happy with a fingernail clipping!”

“I know Gabe, believe me… I know.” He placed his hand on his partner’s shoulder, watching the rest of the force finish their final rounds on the hotel out of the corner of his eye, “I had really hoped we would find something else, or the girls would have been able to give us some sort of information.” Amy’s jaw had healed without a problem, but the only information she had been able to provide had been the list of clients the girls had been seeing; most of which had mysteriously disappeared before the initial bust. The other ten girls had been returned to their families, but sd Gabriel had initially thought, they were unable to give him any information that had not already been documented during the time the case had been opened. 

“Novak! Winchester!” A young woman jogged slowly over to the two men with a small smile; Charlie had been on the force for a few years now, but had only recently been assigned to field work, “We’ve got everything cleared out now, as I am sure you both saw… We’re going to take the remainder of the items back for processing. Maybe, just maybe, there will be something we can’t see that the lab can. You two are done for the day after this, right?”

“Yeah Charlie, Michael is sick of paying out the overtime we’ve been getting in the last few months. Since we haven’t found any more leads and this place is done, we’re going to take a vacation.” 

“I feel so weird, saying we’re taking a vacation. The last time we ‘took a vacation’ was when you got shot.”

“Aww, our first day on the force together… Can you believe it has been almost a year already?” Gabriel sighed, channeling his inner school girl, “Can we really call it taking a vacation or would this be a forced vacation? I mean… the only reason we’re going is under the condition that if anyone does get any more information, Michael will let us know and we can get right back and get working.”

“Exactly. We’re not going too far for that exact reason, just getting out of town for a bit. Since Gabe and I are almost always together anyways it makes it even easier. Plus, my brother and his husband have been demanding to meet my partner for the last couple weeks and they have a little cabin up north, near a lake. So it works out.”

“I’m just happy they’re letting me bring the dogs.” Gabriel nodded to himself, “We’ve been working so much my poor Snicker and Doodle have not been getting anywhere near the amount of love and attention that they deserve… and I can only buy so many designer toys and expensive treats before the guilt of only being home long enough to let them out and sleep starts to eat away at me.”

“Well, I hope you two have a good time. You’ve both been working your rear ends off, so the time is well deserved. I’m going to head off with Gilda, Bella, and the lovely Jo now and turn everything in.” The other three women were standing together by their own squad cars, waiting patiently for Charlie to finish up, “Plus, I finally got Jo to accept my request for a date, so I am just ready for the night to be over so I can take her out for dinner and drinks.” Wishing her luck, the men waved her off.

“You never take me out for dinner and drinks.” Sam whispered, pouting and watching Gabe stifle his own laughter beside him.

“Oh my dear and darling Moose, all you have to do is ask." Gabriel grinned, "If you were that easy, I would have---. You know, never mind! Let’s, uhm… go get ready to get out of here and head off on vacation. It’ll be awesome to finally meet your family. Maybe then I can figure out how you live off of salad.”

They climbed into the car and headed back to the station to punch out. All the while, Sam stared out the window, thinking. After the last couple of weeks. he was beginning to come to terms with his attraction to Gabriel. He had fought for most of his adult life to deny his attraction to other men, and had succeeded, but this man… Everything about him pulled Sam like a magnet to his side. With Gabriel’s help, he was finally able to smile again and move past Jess’ death. His need for justice was still alive and well, but it was not the only thing he lived for. 

Unbeknownst to Sam, Gabriel was thinking along the same lines. Gabe had avoided any sort of romantic attachment, or even platonic attachment, for the last 25 years; but Sam had changed all of that. Gabriel still enjoyed the occasional prank, but no longer felt the need to terrorize everyone around him just to keep them at arm's length. He could honestly say, for the first time in his life, that he had friends and was able to enjoy the company of others… but all he wanted was to express his actual feelings to Sam. He feared the time would never be right, especially since their personal and work lives were anything but separate. 

“I am really ready for this vacation, aren’t you Gabe?” Sam broke the silence as they pulled into the station, a large smile on his face.

“You know, I really am.”


	10. Vacation Time Has Arrived, Mister Moose!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Sam head north of the city to finally take a well deserved vacation... just in time for Gabriel's world to be turned upside-down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to "Of Deals and Devils" everyone~! Chapter 10, who would have thought I would actually get this far... and now we're finally getting into the dramatic parts! I hope you enjoy!

Gabriel and Sam, with the joyous company of Snicker and Doodle, chatted all throughout the two hour drive up north until they finally reached the cabin. The moment they arrived, Gabriel was in awe. The cabin was small enough to be cozy, but large enough that it would be no problem for the four men and the two dogs to be comfortable; but the lake and surrounding scenery were what truly pulled his attention. Clear water, surrounded by a variety of trees and hilly areas, with just enough tall grass that the girls would be sufficiently occupied… and the entire valley sat inside of a crescent of small mountains, “Holy hell in a hamster ball, Sam. You didn’t tell me this place was magical looking.” Gabriel continued to gawk as he pulled into the small parking area, “I mean, seriously… I don’t think I have ever seen a place so beautiful; especially this close to the city.”

“Dean and Cas actually bought this place before they even bought their house… They had been saving for years. Every penny they could spare… Cas wanted to make sure they would never be bothered up here too, so he bought every acre of land inside the valley, as well as the acres around the outside of the mountains, so that he and Dean could have a place to relax and get away from the modern world.”

“They bought all of this?!” Gabriel stammered, “I may have an actual heart attack. I would have to live in a refrigerator box for ten years before I could even think of having the money for something like this.”

“Well, Cas has always been great with finances and made some really sound investments. Dean… not so much.” Sam laughed, opening his door to leave the car and let the girls run free, “Before he and Cas actually got together, I’m pretty sure Dean spent every cent he earned without really thinking about it. Thank God for Cas… speaking of, it doesn’t look like they’re here yet. That is really weird, they are normally here way before I am.”

Gabriel pulled himself out of the vehicle to stretch his legs, watching as Snicker and Doodle bounded through the tall grass and right into the lake, “Oh, girls, no! You just got groomed! You couldn’t have at least waited until we met our hosts before…. Oh, there is just no winning with those two, I swear… they look so happy though. I can’t even be mad.”

“They won’t mind anyways.” Sam shrugged, “The cabin gets cleaned every other day anyways, and we do have towels in the back seat… we can just clean their paws off and dry them off before we go inside, if it makes you feel better about their first impression.”

“You know, it really does, Sammich.” Gabriel lightly punched Sam in the shoulder with a grin, “Seriously though, thanks for inviting us up. I haven’t seen the girls this happy since their hips started going. Now, it looks like they’re puppies again!” Sam nodded as well and leaned against the car, watching the two dogs spring around the property, chasing the fish in the water.

“You’re welcome, Gabe. Thanks for joining me… er, us. I haven’t seen Dean or Cas since I joined the force, so I don’t know how they’re going to act… Towards me. Not towards you. Dean has just always been a little overprotective and Cas… well, so is he. Cas lost his family in some sort of accident when he was a kid, so I think he really latched onto Dean and me when we became an actual family too. Not complaining… It’s just like having two extra mother hen’s who like to call at 5-6am when you just worked a double but you didn’t take two minutes to text them and let them know that you’re alive and going to sleep!” Sam threw his hands up in the air in mock frustration. 

“Oh Moose. You should really remember to call your brother. Sleep is good for you, after all.” Gabriel joked along, waggling his finger near Sam’s face, pretending to scold him.

Snicker and Doodle, confused by the play arguing, approached the two men with a whine before settling between them, “Oh! No, no, no girls. We aren’t actually fighting. We promise. Just playing around. Right, Gabe?”

“Right!” He stroked the two dogs with a smile, “We’re just playing; if we had to really fight, we wouldn’t do it in front of you. I’m pretty sure verbal violence is considered child abuse at some levels.”

Sam rolled his eyes and pet the girls as well, directing Gabriel to the deck, “C’mon. We can sit here and wait for them… I have no idea why they still aren’t here. We’ve been here at least half an hour.” He stared down at his watch with a frown, “It really isn’t like them to be late…” 

“Here Sam, calm down.” Gabe reached into the back of the car and pulled two waters out of the cooler, “It’s water, not vodka, but sit down and drink some water. If they’re coming from a city or two away, it is very possible they got stuck in traffic. Besides, the scanner is on in the car. If anything happened, we would have heard by now.”

Not ten minutes after they sat down, a sleek, black, Chevy Impala pulled into the parking area, “Oh there they are.” Sam shot up and Gabriel followed looking down to the car, but as Sam happily rushed to his family, Gabriel stood frozen. Twenty-five years may have passed, but he could never mistake those sharp features and those blue eyes, “Gabe! Come down and meet my brother and his husband---”

“Castiel.” Gabriel’s jaw hung slack as, for the first time since entering witness protection he made eye contact with his little brother, “I never made the connection… Cas…”

It took a moment before Gabriel saw recollection in Cas’s eyes… and then he realized he had been holding his breath, “Gabriel!”


End file.
